Political Action Committee

PAC News/Issues:

AOPA is currently lobbying for legislation to expand the 3rd class medical certificate, and we fought back against the FAA’s unilateral policy-making on Sleep Apnea. We are also working to limit Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) authority to stop and search law-abiding pilots and GA aircraft unless there is reasonable suspicion of illegal activity or probable cause to do so. Other key issues include: finding an alternative to leaded aviation gasoline; protecting the interests of GA as the FAA and Congress work towards modernizing our air traffic control system or NextGen; working in states to cut costs, protect funding, and keep aviation accessible; protecting Santa Monica airport from closure; and leading an effort to transform pilot testing and training.

About AOPA PAC:

AOPA PAC is an integral part of AOPA's efforts to promote the legislative and political interests of all aircraft owners and pilots. AOPA PAC is an independent fund of voluntary, personal contributions. The fund is strictly regulated by the Federal Election Commission and is used by political candidates to defray campaign costs. AOPA PAC is a completely non-partisan entity. Its primary goal is to elect a pro-general aviation majority in Congress.

Under federal law, AOPA is prohibited from giving dues money to candidates for federal office. Therefore, AOPA PAC has been created to identify and contribute money to qualified candidates who weigh the interests of general aviation when considering legislation. In addition to our proven friends in Congress, AOPA PAC works to cultivate new members and candidates who are supportive of the industry.

The AOPA PAC provides members with another collective tool to ensure the needs of general aviation are recognized in Congress. By contributing through AOPA PAC, your dollars are pooled with contributions from other pilots and aircraft owners nationwide. This means that each dollar you give carries far greater weight than if you contributed on your own. By acting through the PAC, you are part of a focused and effective campaign to achieve maximum returns from limited dollars.

By acting through the PAC, AOPA members are part of a focused and effective campaign on behalf of general aviation to achieve maximum returns from limited dollars. The PAC allows us to back our friends in Congress who support us day-to-day in defense of our freedom to fly.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What are the restrictions for giving to the AOPA PAC?

You must be a member of AOPA to make a contribution of the AOPA PAC. Only personal contributions are accepted, corporate contributions are prohibited. Federal law requires AOPA PAC to use its best efforts to collect and report the name, address, occupation and employer of individuals contributing more than $200 in a calendar year. Contributions to AOPA PAC are not tax deductible as charitable contribution.

Which candidates receive AOPA PAC contributions?

The AOPA PAC supports qualified men and women, regardless of party affiliation, who recognize and support your right to fly. Among other things, AOPA PAC looks closely at candidate's record, past support for general aviation, committee assignments, leadership positions and political vulnerability.

AOPA PAC can give $5,000 to candidates per election (primary, general, special, etc.). In addition, AOPA PAC can give $15,000 annually to national party committees and $5,000 annually to other PACs, state parties and leadership PACs.

I want my funds to go strictly to a Republican / Democrat, otherwise I will not donate. Is this possible?

An individual’s donation to AOPA PAC is pooled with contributions from other AOPA members nationwide which means each dollar carries far greater weight than if a person contributed to a politician on their own. Because we pool individual contributions together, we are not able to accommodate individual donor’s requests on where funds are directed.

By acting through the PAC, AOPA members are part of a focused and effective campaign on behalf of general aviation to achieve maximum returns from limited dollars. The PAC allows us to back our friends in Congress who support us day-to-day in defense of our freedom to fly.

Why should I support a Democrat or Republican just because he/she is pro-GA?

The AOPA PAC is a completely non-partisan entity and its primary goal is to help elect a pro-general aviation majority in Congress. We do not consider a candidates’ party affiliation or positions on non-general aviation-related issues when considering a contribution to an individual candidate.

Having bipartisan support is essential to getting anything done in Congress and to making progress on general aviation issues. While the perception is that Congress does not accomplish a whole lot, over the past few years’ general aviation has had some legislative success thanks in large part to our bipartisan support in Congress. For example, Senator Inhofe (R-OK) and AOPA worked for a year to get his Pilots Bill of Rights passed and signed into law in 2012. His bill passed a Senate where the Democrats were in the majority, because he had 65 bipartisan cosponsors. Then, before the bill could be signed into law, it passed the Republican-controlled House with ease because it carried bipartisan support. Just last year, the Small Airplane Revitalization Act was passed and signed into law because it too received bipartisan support in both the House and Senate.